


Heartbeat

by Serpex



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Angst, Fluff, M/M, Modern AU, fight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-22
Updated: 2019-08-22
Packaged: 2020-09-24 02:54:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20351197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serpex/pseuds/Serpex
Summary: What do you do when the ticking of the clock becomes replaced by your own heartbeat? When numbness takes over every other feeling in your body leaving nothing but tar seeping into your bones, will the ringing ever stop too? Will the flashes ever cease?Zeref hasn't been sleeping well. He's not sure if he's even sleeping at all. Tempester was out of his life now because of his mistakes, and regret was devouring him from the inside out. He wasn't sure how long he could last.





	Heartbeat

The wind is howling under raven feathered clouds churning in the sky. No stars can penetrate this eerie blanket regardless of how much they try. Yet, it does not bring deadly storms that bare burning rain or screaming thunder. It lays waiting, watching, and mocking with an invisible grin among its tendrils. The waves rise and fall and crash in a gentle rhythm, like a lullaby slowly etching a thin sheet of fatigue. In that instance, I can almost forget with the pleasant crunching of sand shards behind me. I get to the lighthouse, turn around, and my footsteps are already gone. I like that. But there are certain things you can't erase like your own memories. There are things that other people will forget, and you know it. But your own memories do not disappear nor will they fade. They become isolated in a little box of matches waiting to burst into a million embers and fizzling out leaving you to pick up the ashes scattered about. And I know, the time is creeping closer and closer.

The lighthouse is swallowed by darkness before I could ever see the light.

It hurts so bad, you know. I hate going to bed alone, but here I am on neatly ironed sheets in neither a wakeful nor resting state. The mattress doesn't sink like it used to. It's missing his body warmth. The blankets and pillows no longer linger with his scent. Honey and ginger have no hold of the air anymore. His arms are absent from my waist.

Two weeks have already passed since he left. I let Tempester go out of fear, but now it was scarier without his presence. Anger is a hideous bane that contorts you into someone you wish you weren't within an instant. It was like a cobra waiting for you step across eggshells and the moment you crushed them into dust, it struck you and didn't let you go until everything was over. And with it, Karma was a demon in disguise running her fingers under your skin. She waits for you to screw up, knows you will, and then gives a hefty cry of pride when you fall down.

Tempester was too good for me. He was as close to perfect that you could get. Even his imperfections were riveting to his nature. Encompassed in a sheen of beauty, there was nothing on this living god.

And I let him go.

Looking back, it was a petty fight that should not have gotten as far as it did. New Year's was around the corner (long over now). We were invited to join a party for everyone in the old Tartaros crew from high school. They were a great bunch that made a living hell into something bearable. Tempester was in it long before I ever joined, but I could tell everyone was apart of his family, a spiritual one. But, New Year's was a time of rebirth. It was a release from the past and a step towards the future. Was it wrong of me to think it would be okay if I just spent it alone with Tempester?

I wish I knew the answer, but the ravishing effects were strong. I missed him so much.

His voice still echos in a deafening silence every second of my life. He wasn't one to raise his voice often, but he grew livid at me. I could remember how his eyes narrowed in a cold glare and his grimace etched into my mind. He screamed at me to think about what I wanted to matter in my life. He wanted me to know why the bond we had with the others was one of the most important things to keep alive.

A narrow-minded buffoon; that was what he called me.

And being me, I met his temper and blew up in his face. Worst of all, I told him to leave. At that moment, he turned around and didn't turn back until the door of our apartment slammed behind him. I should have apologized, chased after him, called out, shouted, anything! Instead, I just watched him leave.

I hadn't really left my house much. Larcade dragged me out for grocery shopping every few days, but I only ate the bare minimum anyway. He doesn't really know that, and I didn't want to be a burden. Tempester always did say I was an idiot sometimes.

Who knew it took one person to make that idiot realize?

The sun was angrily baring its rays into the window. I couldn't bother getting up and closing them anymore. Maybe, it could turn me to ash, and I could drift away. If only that was how it worked. My bladder was screaming as I rolled off my side and slowly dragged my feet across the carpet. It was a shaky walk to the toilet, but eventually, I got there. After relieving myself, I trudged back to the living room, only to stare at the empty space. I couldn't stop seeing him.

We would cuddle on the couch watching tv, my head cradled on his chest. I could see us standing by the window laughing at the neighbors downstairs trying to drag their three stubborn Great Danes on a walk. The coffee table was covered in fabricated playing cards where Tempester would always beat me at Go Fish, Poker, or whatever. The crooked bookshelf was where our favorite novels were kept. The gaming console on the bottom shelf was where we'd play against each other.

Everywhere, he was there. And I couldn't escape.

I collapsed to the floor overwhelmed and exhausted again. Endless tears streamed out like a broken dam. At some point, I must have fallen asleep as I sank unto utter darkness.

Some ticking drew me off a dreamless snooze followed by the soft beating of what seemed to be fingernails tapping wood. As the blurriness subsided, I saw a figure sitting in the corner. I took a sharp intake of air before realizing who it was.

"Tempester." It came out as a hushed whisper. The drumming stopped as dark eyes met mine. "Tempester," I said again in disbelief. I couldn't believe he was real. He had to be real. He stood up and walked over.

"Hey, Zerzer. Long-time no see," he mused as he stroked my head. I leaned into his hand. I was so touch-starved and eager for him. His deep laugh lulled through the room like a beautiful melody ringing high above the rest of the symphony.

"Temmie, you came back."

"You can't keep me away for too long. Besides, I live here, don't I? It would be rude to keep me out of our own home." I smiled and pulled him down so we were laying next to each other. The answer was as plain as day. But, there was still one more elephant in the room.

"I never wanted to keep you away. I'm sorry about before. I didn't mean to push you away. I know it was a selfish thing to ask. I just wanted it to be us that day," I explained. Tempester shook his head.

"I'm over it. I didn't really think about how you felt. My feelings were overcome by the urge to see the old gang together again," he replied. I shook my head.

"That is something you deserve. I was being a shitty boyfriend keeping you like that. I'm not a controlling person, but within that moment, I hated myself. Are we... Are we still good?" Tempester suddenly turned and swung a leg over my body straddling me. I flinched slightly as he bent down and roughly kissed me. My limbs became gelatinous and writhed to grip his body. We pulled away drearily and simply embraced each other for a little bit.

"We're still good," he finally said. "Next time, let's try to talk about it together before anyone stomps off." I huffed and nodded.

"We hit a bump in the road, but the next one we'll get through it together." Tempester smirked with a twinkle in his iris.

"I like the sound of that. I love you, Zeref."

"I love you, too, Tempester."


End file.
